A Venture in Smiling
by Vashoth
Summary: Luca knew exactly which buttons to push for a smile; when to offer treasure she just happened to come across ("Does this look like something you want, Bela? I'm not sure what to do with all these golden medals.") or when to punctuate a particularly brutal killing with blatant flirtations ("Blood of slavers is an excellent color on you Fen!"). As always, Rees stood out. /(Polyship)


A/N: Alright, so this one takes place in the OT4 universe. There's a better description put up in my profile, but for the purposes of this fic I'll give a short explanation. Luca Hawke is the daughter of Malcolm Hawke and a Fereldan woman. Rees Amell is the daughter of Leandra Amell and a Tal-Vashoth mage. At the time of this fic (approx three years post DA2), Luca, Fenris, Rees, and Isabela have been together and haphazardly married since the death of the Arishok. They make a happy little murder family. This fic was also a response to a prompt on tumblr where a companion that is generally stoic is caught smiling. Anyway, if you're still confused, I recommend reading the bit I wrote up in my profile. Most importantly, Luca Hawke belongs to Nebulad and you should go read and review all their stuff immediately.

...

It was hard sometimes to tell a real from a fake smile. Maker knew the merchants scattered across Kirkwall had mastered the art. Their eyes would crinkle just believably at the edges and their lips would quirk up naturally like they'd trained for the day a noble would tell them none of their silks were fashionable that particular season.

Bela smiled easy and often. Her biggest smiles were wide and loud like a storm in the sea; full of teeth, dark red lips, and bouncing curls. Her nails would rake against the counter in a way that was vaguely sexual (and one hundred percent intentionally so) and she'd slap the side of her thigh like she couldn't get a gasp of air in otherwise.

Even Fenris smiled. For all the crap he got about being eternally broody, Luca always caught him grinning behind her when she was particularly rude to bandits or unfailingly merciless with slavers. It spread across his face and lit up his eyes like he wasn't sure what to do with the expression. His eyebrows tilted in a way that screamed bashful and bewildered and it was gone just as quickly as it had come. At least on his lips. It always stayed in his eyes and in the upward pointing tips of his ears.

What's more, it was simple to get _them_ to smile. Luca knew exactly which buttons to push, when to offer treasure she just happened to come across ("Does this look like something you want, Bela? I'm not sure what to do with all these golden medals.") or when to punctuate a particularly brutal killing with blatant flirtations ("Blood of slavers is an excellent color on you Fen!").

As always, Rees stood out.

The Vashoth woman was impossible to predict. She had lived in a hollowed out hole in the wall for Maker knows how long before Luca had stumbled across her taking out a small band of Templars. She claimed herself and her sister to be the lost daughters of the prominent Amell heiress, Leandra Amell, with little more than a shrug. And once reconnected with her lost mother, she was still seen wandering home to the alienage before remembering her estate in Hightown. She hadn't even cracked a smile when Leandra hugged her for the first time in over a decade.

She'd looked peaceful, sure. Worried, almost always. But the expressions never really left the corners of her eyes. Like the Arishok, her mouth stayed in a frustrating line across her face. A real shame too, with full lips and startlingly white teeth against the blackest skin, Luca was positive it would be a _wonderful_ smile.

And she had absolutely no idea how to make it happen.

. . . . . . . . . .

Luca started with food. It was a safe bet, she thought. Everyone likes food. Especially after a long cold day killing on the Wounded Coast, a warm full belly was sure to be appreciated. She'd picked the day strategically, too. Luca had waited until the first bits of frost nipped at the window panes in Hightown but the rain wasn't quite cold enough to freeze. Soft snow was always infinitely preferable to cold, sleet-like rain driving through your skin like needles. No matter how thick Rees' skin was, she was sure to have a bit of a shiver when she came back. Especially since she insisted on wearing Qunari armour she'd stolen of the Tal-Vashoth they killed. It didn't cover much.

So when the door to the estate slammed open and wet slopping sounds followed in with a chorus of grunts and groans, Luca Hawke was prepared. She had a big blanketed basket of fresh buttered garlic bread sitting invitingly on the table next to a pile of fire-heated soft towels.

She poked her head out of the kitchen door and pretended to be surprised to see Fenris and Rees walk in. "Back so early? What happened?"

Fenris' hair was stuck to his scalp like a damp white helmet and his ears were drooping about as far as they could go. He was gritting his teeth rather obviously to prevent chattering but even with the soak of the rain she could see the blood staining his armour and dripping diluted off the tip of his sword. He elbowed the equally soaked Vashoth woman next to him who has wringing out her dreads over the nice new carpet. Luca decided to ignore this.

"They didn't have back up. For once." Rees said plainly. She snorted a little and Luca tilted her head and squinted to see if there was the barest hint of a smile. _Nothing_. "And they weren't even wearing armour. Just coats. Stupid."

Fenris nodded affirmation beside her and was quickly stripping out of his metal plating. He snatched one of the towels and wrapped himself in it either unaware or uncaring that he'd mussed his hair into a poof. Rees kicked off her armoured boots at the wall of the entrance and ruffled his hair as she passed with a clawed gauntlet so it looked less like an angry possum. He scowled at her and she looked pleased. Still, her lips did not move. Luca caught herself staring and shook out of her reverie to grab another warm towel and drape it over the woman's shoulders.

"Then you must be glad to be home," she said, kissing her wife square on the cheek. She followed suit and planted one on Fenris' cheek as well, giving both of their arms a loving squeeze. "And you're just in time! I've made chicken noodle soup! Go ahead and sit."

Fenris perked up visibly at that and hustled over to the table next to the roaring fireplace. Rees' eyes widened just slightly but she didn't have the same bounce in her step. It was still so casual. So indifferent. Luca turned away so that they didn't see her pout and bustled around the kitchen until she came out with a pot of soup easily as big as she was.

"I got two fresh chickens from the market today, some carrots from the gardens next to the Viscount's-yes, I know, not _his_ gardens-some onions and spices from the Qunari camps and Orana and I made the noodles ourselves!" She rattled off the ingredients proudly, breaking apart another branch of herbs and floating them on top of the steaming soup. Fenris looked at her like he didn't believe she was real. Rees' eyes did not move from the pot.

Luca didn't miss a beat. She smoothly grabbed a deep bowl she'd set out next to the bread and ladled a hearty portion thick with chicken chunks. She carefully tucked a crisp piece of the garlic bread into the side, just barely putting it under the broth and handed it gently to Rees. The rogues' hands darted out and snatched it before worrying about steadying the thing but didn't even seem to mind the spray of steaming liquid hitting her own arms.

Luca watched them both expectantly. Sure enough, a contented smile spread across Fenris' face as he leaned back in his chair. His teeth had stopped chattering enough for him to sink into the chair cushions and stare lovingly at the fire. He looked like a cat about to fall asleep in a patch of sunshine. Luca felt her own smile tugging at her lips and the satisfied flutter around her heart. Rees had all but inhaled her soup and tossed back at least half a loaf of garlic bread besides. She was leaning heavily against her chair with her head back and her eyes closed. Her spiraled horns dipped behind the headrest and dripped slowly. She had her hands folded across her belly; even her muscles seemed to have found an abbreviated rest.

Still, her mouth was _damnably still_. Luca did not attempt to hide the pout this time, but let it pass with a sigh. She would figure it out yet, she was sure.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"It really doesn't bother you?" Luca asked again from where she perched in the barn rafters above Aveline's training dummies.

The sweaty elf spared her a short glance before taking a wide sweeping step and connecting his wooden training sword to the waist of the dummy. Satisfied with the loud crack, he slowly moved back to his starting position with obvious attention to his footwork and breathed deeply. "No. Not particularly."

"We've been married for three years now," Luca whined and Fenris ignored the sound to land another few blows. "I've seen her snicker, laugh and smirk but... It's not the same."

"How so?" Fenris asked indulgently.

"You smile. Bella smiles. I smile. It's not weird right?"

He glanced at her again with a raised eyebrow. "And that is different from laughter?"

Luca chewed on her lip and curled a tendril of wispy blonde on her fingertip. "It's just simple happiness. Like when you were a kid. Birthday party smiles and stuff. I remember once with Carver we got him his first wooden sword and he couldn't _stop_ smiling." She felt the corners of her lips tug upwards. "It was so innocent and happy. He trained from morning until dusk and he never stopped being... Oh, what's the word?"

"Delighted?" Fenris offered helpfully. _Whack, whack, whack._

The mage's head bobbed up and down excitedly. "Yes! Delighted! No bitterness, no sarcasm, no worry. Just happiness."

Fenris paused in his ministrations half to gather his breath and half to think. His eyebrows scrunched up in the way she loved so much and the tips of calloused fingers tugged at hair that very badly needed a trim. His mouth pressed into a thin line finally and Luca held her breath, not wanting to take away from his thoughts.

"I think..." He said slowly, feeling out the words, "that might not be possible, Lovely."

Her heart fluttered at the pet name but immediately dropped when she registered what he said. "What? Of course it's possible. Everyone has something that makes them happy."

Fenris shook his head, "No, it's not that. It's just... Surviving makes her happy. Having food to eat makes her happy. Knowing she's strong enough. That sort of thing."

"No, that can't be it." Luca prodded at the shabby support pole she leaned against, picking away splintering wood and flicking it off to the floor. "I made that chicken soup and she just fell asleep."

Fenris grinned a little at that. "It was good soup."

"It was _amazing_ soup." Luca corrected. "And fresh bread. If that doesn't get a smile, I don't know- oh. Maybe something qunari? I know she's Vashoth but surely her dad used to make-"

"No." He interrupted firmly. "That's a bad idea."

Luca heaved another frustrated sigh and toppled backwards so that she lay flat against the ceiling beam, arm killing down dramatically below her side. "I don't know what to do Fenris."

He considered her carefully. "Rees is... Complicated."

Luca snorted. "She is anything but."

He shook his head, "No I mean that what made her is complicated. You... Hm." He trailed off. Light returned to his eyes in a flash and he gestured excitedly at her. "You're a mage!"

She laughed and it felt good. "Yes, sweetness. I am. A blood mage at that."

He gave her a disapproving look.

"Well if you lot would stop trying to skewer yourselves in battle, it wouldn't be necessary."

Fenris rolled his eyes and moved to place his training sword in the bucket with all the others. "You had to keep moving to avoid Templars, right? To keep Carver safe. Apostasy could not have been easy.

She blinked at him and nodded.

"But you could hide. Pretend you didn't have magic, that you were just ordinary people."

Luca snorted at that and pointed to her giant curly blonde afro. "Sometimes."

Fenris smirked at that. "True, but hair can be dyed. You don't have horns."

It was true. For all she had done to narrowly escape the Templars, she was still able to go to the market. Hell, she could buy mage robes in broad daylight and everyone assumed it was for her daughter in the circle. Or sister. Something. Though Wycome was starting to put the pieces together about the Champion and what she looked like, it was Fenris and Rees that gave her away every time. She could dress modestly and avoid meeting strangers but it was hard to ignore a glowing elf and the Vashoth woman that followed her like she was precious.

 _Rees hadn't been able to hide_. The thought hit her like a concrete brick. She'd had no home to go to because she'd endanger the whole neighborhood. The woman that had taken her in for a while still had to part ways when it was no longer possible for them both to stay under the radar.

"Makers breath," Luca wheezed. "She's never even _had_ a proper birthday party."

Fenris looked insulted at that. "We took her hunting on the Wounded Coast last year, Lovely."

Luca waved her hand placatingly. "No I mean a _proper_ birthday. With streamers and cake and presents and _no strippers_."

He nodded slowly. "That's... certainly possible."

But before he could get the words out, she had already begun scrambling down the wooden beam and was haphazardly brushing the wood chips and hay out of her hair. He watched her bewildered as she hurtled thanks and loving remarks at him, not even pausing before breaking into a run towards the market place.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Am I missing anything?" Luca stood in the center of the foyer wringing her hands.

Bela had a comforting arm slung low around her waist and nuzzled her cheek. "I keep telling you; strippers are classic. No such thing as a party without someone getting naked."

"It's not that _kind_ of birthday party!" Luca insisted for what must've been the hundredth time. She fidgeted away from Bela's touch, busying her hands with adjusting the bright red streamers that lined the hallway in uneven droopings. Fenris eyed the whole event warily. She tugged at the end of some of the balloons to test their air retention and still she couldn't get her gut to calm down. "It's supposed to be like… Innocent? I don't know. A kids thing."

"She's thirty," Fenris said carefully. "And _not_ innocent."

Bela snorted.

"Well, yes," she frowned, "I know that. But it's a gift. Like a whole childhood in… one day." Saying it outloud didn't help. She chewed on her lip and again worried if this was going to end in the Vashoth sprinting for the hills.

"Are we entirely sure this _is_ her birthday?" Bela chirped helpfully. Fenris looked like he was trying very hard not to smile. Luca's lips pressed into a thin line.

"I know you think I'm crazy, okay?" She snapped. "But it's important to me to see her smile. Happy. Whatever works is fine."

Bela shrugged and slid into one of the chairs covered in big red bows. She quirked an eyebrow in the direction of the three tier cake, several wrapped boxes the size of mabari and the sloppily written 'Rees' Birthday' on the banner Fenris made. It was getting hard to tell what was a remainder from illiteracy and what was intentional apathy.

The door shook and all three stopped to stare. "Could've been thunder," Luca babbled nervously. Loud swearing in a deep voice followed more violent door shaking. The mage grimaced. "Not thunder."

Wood splintered around the handle and the tip of a blade worked its way along the edge of the lock. Soon enough there was a dark black clawed hand holding a dagger punched through what appeared to be an accidental knocking through of the door knob itself. More swearing. Fenris sighed audibly. The knife dropped to the floor without ceremony and the dextrous fingers fished around for a place to apply pressure before forcing the door open (and off it's hinges). Rees swore something truly vile in elvish, trying to brace the wooden thing against the hallway in a way that seemed moderately inconspicous when she recognized all three of her spouses staring at her.

She froze immediately, eyes darting from each of their faces to the streamers, cake, presents, back to the cake, and then slowly to Luca. Luca smiled as convincingly as she could manage. "Happy birthday, Starlight! We thought we would-"

"It's not my birthday." Rees said stupidly, still looking stunned with her hand stuck in the door.

"-yes, I know but-"

"Lucky has decided to throw you a childhood," Fenris tried to help. "Since yours sucked."

Luca's smile became more pained. "Sort of. I just thought you might never have had the chance and well. I wanted you to have some of your innocence back. It's a silly thing, I know. Just supposed to make you happy."

"My… innocence." Rees repeated slowly, again staring at the cake. Her eyes moved to Fenris' banner and narrowed slightly but she didn't comment.

Luca felt her heart sink. She couldn't have missed the mark more completely and she was so _sure_. Her face heat up faster than she could discreetly lower the room temperature so she turned away. She made a big show of moving to the record player and waving a large disc she'd picked up in the alienage. Bargain bin, but Merrill said it was good for parties.

Cloudy sound wavered from the record, static-y and sharp but it was effective enough at filling the air with something. A feminine dalish voice warbled something in elvish to an odd tune she'd never heard before. Rees reacted immediately.

The rogue raced over to the machine, snatching the disc off the track and staring at it suspiciously. She looked up at Luca. "Where the fuck did you find this?"

Both Fenris and Bela were on their feet in seconds. Luca swallowed, "It was just… There's this vendor in the alienage and he had a sale. I didn't really-"

"Do you have the case?" There was something new in the rogue's voice that sounded uncomfortably between a threat and desperation. Luca shot both Fenris and Bela placating looks and moved cautiously to pull the paper coating from under the cloth table the player was sitting on. She held it out to Rees who snatched it without preamble.

Her eyes scanned over the elvish writing furiously, over and over again, looking for something she obviously wasn't finding. The tension left her shoulders all in one fell swoop and the intensity left her eyes like it had never been there. She tossed the disc back towards Luca who caught it mostly on reflex. She wasn't entirely sure whether to put it back on the track or smash it.

"I can't imagine how you managed to pick this one." Rees mumbled. A small twitch played at the corner of her lips. Luca pounced on it like a dying templar.

"Is it meaningful? I didn't recognize most of the words." She prodded carefully.

Rees looked up from the paper case and blinked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, yeah. It's birthday songs. Shit Babas used to teach me to sing to Bethy when we were kids."

The Vashoth woman waited to see a look of recognition, and finding none, checked with the other members of the house. Nothing. She gestured vaguely towards the player. Luca stared back, unsure. Rees huffed and took the disc from her more gently this time. She replaced the piece and set the needle to the center.

Again warbling Dalish voices came through lead by a feminine soprano singing soft syllables that all seemed to merge together. Rees' eyes closed and again the corner of her lips twitched. She hummed first then sang along. She stared outward in concentration, visibly struggling to remember all the lyrics. She stumbled a couple times and smiled easily. Just as quickly as she fought, she learned. She had the strange lilting beat down to a science in a matter of seconds and by the final chorus was singing confidently. The voices gathered again to start anew and she placed a clawed fingertip on the track to stop it from continuing. The rogue looked back towards her companions, a smile from ear to ear.

"Surely you know that one," she insisted. "It's stupid fucking simple."

"Then why'd you screw it up?" Fenris teased. He looked a little in awe though, daring to glance at Luca and see how she was taking the sight. She hadn't even accounted for her success. But the wetness on her cheeks told her that something in her had already taken it to heart. She tried to quickly wipe away the tears on the back of her sleeve but a sniffle betrayed her.

Rees turned around quick as lightning and was at her side in seconds. The beautiful smile had disappeared completely and was replaced with concern. "Lucky? You okay?"

"No!" Luca whined, shook her head and tried again. "I mean yes, but. You stopped!" Another sniffle busted through her throat without permission. Rees' eyebrows furrowed and she looked to Fenris for clarification.

"Smiling," Fenris offered. "She wants you to smile."

Rees stared at him for a second then looked to Bela who nodded confirmation. "It's true, Starlight. Lucky has been busy like a whore on lovers day trying to get you to crack a grin. Innocent smile, or whatever. Overrated, if you ask me."

Rees looked back at Luca in awe, like she couldn't quite figure out who she was looking at. "You did this-" she paused to gesture wildly at the whole set up, "-all this, so I would _smile_?"

Luca didn't dare take the sleeve away from her nose and mouth, afraid to let out one of the hiccupping sobs that threatened to puncture through anyway. Her wife took her by the shoulders roughly and pulled her deep into one of her too-tight hugs. She felt her hands cradle the back of her head and this time _felt_ the smile before she could see it.


End file.
